Police lock down Surfers Paradise after blast rips hole in footpath

A woman has been swallowed up in Surfers Paradise after a sinkhole formed following an explosion. SEE THE VIDEO

Police on Sunday locked down several streets in the heart of Surfers Paradise for a number of hours after an underground blast ripped a hole in a footpath, injuring one person.

The Queensland Police Service announced it had made an emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) at 6.16pm due to the incident.

Footage posted to social networking site TikTok by account @Iris.Migadaki shows an explosive burst of fire from the footpath in Surfers Paradise

The area covered by the declaration had its boundaries at Cavill Ave, Elkhorn Ave, The Esplanade and Surfers Paradise Boulevard.

Members of the public were urged to avoid the area, while people already within the exclusion zone were asked to stay indoors.

The scene of the incident. Picture: Mardi Martin / Surfers Paradise Community Facebook page

A QPS spokesman said emergency services had been called to Cavill Ave at 5.18pm to reports of a “pressure blast”.

A witness said they had heard “three big bangs”.

CCTV footage obtained by 9 News Gold Coast shows a woman walking down the footpath before the manhole pops open, causing her to fall in.

Footage posted to social networking site TikTok by account @Iris.Migadaki shows an explosive burst of fire from the footpath.

A woman shown falling into a manhole in Surfers Paradise. Picture: 9 News Gold Coast

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said one person had been taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition as a result of the incident.

It is believed the person was a young woman who had been walking along the street when the incident happened.

She was not seriously injured.

The PSPA was lifted shortly after 8pm.

Police said emergency services were investigating the cause of the incident.

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